At Peace
by cherryredxx
Summary: It almost seemed as though she was a guest rather than a hostage, but Ginny was not fool enough to believe that she had not been chosen for a reason.


**A/N:** This fic is my response to three different challenges: The One Line Competition 2, True Colors Competition (Ginny Weasley; White), and the Sensitive/Controversial Topic Challenge (Claustrophobia).

This story is AU. Fred is alive, Voldemort hasn't been defeated, Harry is not dead. The rest you will figure out as you go! I've never written anything like this before, so I really do hope you like it. Leave me something sweet, please! :)

* * *

The locked door fascinated and puzzled her. After spending three weeks trapped in Malfoy Manor, Ginny had discovered several doorways and passageways, but this one in particular had caught her interest, intrigued her even more than some of the secret passages that she had come across while en route to finding an escape. She had been given free reign, the ability to roam around the ancestral home as she liked, and she had done exactly that. But this was the only door that was locked.

Draco had seen her near that door several times, and each time he had hesitated. She was certain that there was something behind it that the Malfoys did not want her to see or know about. It could have been anything – a way out, perhaps, or a secret heirloom, or possibly something that, if known by the Order, could unravel the Dark Lord's mission. It was, however, irrelevant. Ginny knew that there was something behind that door that she was not supposed to know about, and once that simple fact registered, she had resigned herself to find out what it was or die trying.

She was smart enough to know that there would be no simple unlocking charm that would do the trick, but she still tried every spell she knew anyway. They had allowed her to keep her wand, so she had a sneaking suspicion that either magic would not help her, or what was required would be so advanced and Dark that she would never have been exposed to it. But the redhead was too persistent, too stubborn, and she would not give in until her goal was accomplished. A challenge had never been enough to deter her.

Considering her circumstances and the fact that she was being held hostage by Lord Voldemort in Malfoy Manor, Ginny found that she was actually being treated rather well. Aside from the fact that she was still in possession of her wand, she was also given at least three meals a day, clothes to wear, and books to read. It almost seemed as though she was a guest rather than a hostage, but Ginny was not fool enough to believe that she had not been chosen for a reason. There was a deeper, and undoubtedly darker, reason for her presence at the Manor, and all she wanted was to get out before discovering what that reason was. Everything was dependent upon that door, what was behind it, and why they wanted her to stay on the other side of it.

center*****/center

Ginny took her seat at the Malfoy dinner table. It had taken some getting used to, but eventually she had come to terms with the fact that she ate all of her meals in the company of a family of Death Eaters. Normally, Lucius sat at the head of the table, Narcissa to his right and Draco to his left. Ginny sat to the left of Draco. Occasionally, other Death Eaters would join them, but on this evening in particular, she was alone with the youngest Malfoy.

"Where is everybody?" she asked.

Draco gave her a sideways glance. "They had business to attend to."

"Death Eater meeting?" Ginny countered boldly. "Why aren't you there?"

The blond turned toward her, an eyebrow raised in question. "You'd do well to keep your head down, Weasley," he hissed, though his words lacked venom. "You should stop asking questions and stop trying to get on the other side of that bloody door. You're better off; I mean it."

Somewhere inside she had the feeling that he was trying to help her, but she pushed it back. It was counterintuitive. Why would Draco Malfoy have even the slightest interest in her well-being, her safety? Rather than doing as he said, she matched her eyes with his. "Malfoy, what's behind that door that I'm not allowed to see? Is it a way out or something?"

"It's something you would never understand, Ginny." His normally cold, grey eyes looked somewhat warmer. He appeared more down to earth than she'd ever seen him. More human. "Please, just finish your meal and go back to your chambers."

"Why should I?"

"I assure you that it is in your best interest to do as I am suggesting. If you choose to do otherwise, it is not my problem."

* * *

Naturally, Ginny did not do as Draco had suggested. Not exactly, at least. She did return to her living quarters initially. Deciding bravely that this would be her last night in Malfoy Manor, one way or another, Ginny shrunk down all of her personal effects and put them into her pockets. She did not come with much, but there was nothing that she was willing to leave behind. There was a photograph of her family that she had been looking at when they'd found her, a pair of earrings that Hermione had lent her for the ball that she had been in attendance of, and the ring that Harry had given her, still in its box.

She cast an eye to the clock. It was half seven. Generally, Lucius would have guards at her door by eight. It was now or never; she'd have to get out of her chambers before the guards arrived.

Ginny took a deep breath before leaving. She placed a locking charm on her door in hopes that the guards would assume that she had already gone to bed for the night. Hopefully, once it was time for them to check in on her, she'd already be out of the manor, or too far into it for them to find her.

Using the tunnels that she had discovered during her stay, she snuck through the corridors undetected. First, she went through the corridor behind the main library, which was just across the hall from her bed chambers. This was a shortcut to get to a set of unused steps at the far side of the manor. After carefully checking to make sure that no one was around, Ginny descended the staircase as quickly as possible before ducking behind a large statue. She took the opportunity to rest for a moment; her heart was beating wildly in her chest, the realization of what she was getting into finally setting in.

It was too late to turn back. The guards would surely have already got to the door, and she couldn't risk them knowing what she had planned. If anyone had figured out how well she knew the hidden passages and secrets of Malfoy Manor, there was no question that they would begin keeping a sharper eye on her. But she needed to go on; she was almost there.

After creeping down the seldom-travelled hallway, she turned into the dining room. The locked door was not much father. All that Ginny had to do was use the staircase behind the kitchens, the one that was used only by the House Elves under normal circumstances, and she would be there. Her biggest concern was that the elves would report to Lucius and Narcissa, but they barely seemed to notice that she was there.

Knowing now that she was almost to her destination, almost free of the manor that had held her prisoner for far too long, Ginny started to run. Her labored breathing was loud, but it didn't matter. No one was around – anywhere. It suddenly struck her as odd. Even though the path to the door had been one that was less frequently travelled, _someone_ should have happened by at some point. After all, she had been roaming the ancestral home for upwards of an hour. Fear began to course through her veins. Either she was completely alone, or her plan of a stealthy escape had found out by her captors.

Ginny rounded a final corner and, as if on cue, ran straight into Draco. She almost fell to the floor and yelled out in pain, but he caught her and covered her mouth with his hand in one swift movement. After casting furtive glances in all directions, he shoved her into a small alcove near his father's private library.

"I thought I told you to stay in your chambers," he hissed. "You need to go back."

"I can't!" Ginny cried. "I haven't heard anything about my family in months. I need to get out and go home. And, if I don't make it, I want them to just kill me. I can't stay here another day as a hostage. I won't."

"You're a very foolish girl." Draco crossed his arms over his chest, his face appearing stoic. "Don't you understand why you're here? You aren't a bloody hostage. You're bait. You think my father doesn't know that you've been sneaking around this place? You think that he was being generous by allowing you to keep your wand? He wasn't – he's counting on you being here tonight. Why else would he have skipped dinner? He wanted you to find that door, and you are playing right into his hand."

The redhead narrowed her eyes. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"Because I'm the reason you've stayed alive as long as you have." Draco sighed, his expression softening immediately at the look of horror that appeared on Ginny's face. "Listen, Ginny. The Dark Lord ordered your capture because you are a Weasley and he wanted to make an impression. But my father convinced him that you could have_ other_ uses. "

She shuddered at the insinuation. "What do you mean? What other uses?"

"Rape, torture, and baiting Potter into coming to your rescue." He gave a sound of disgust. "You need to start using your brain! You're not dealing with kids anymore. These are grown adults who are only interested in you because you are the epitome of _pure_. They want to hurt you because you are everything that they're not."

Ginny closed her eyes briefly. "And here I was thinking that I had actually outsmarted him."

"My father, you mean?"

"No." Grimly, she shook her head. "Tom."

Draco looked puzzled, but shook it off after a moment. "Please, go back upstairs. There is nothing stopping you except your stupid Gryffindor bravery. If you go to that door and open it, I can't protect you anymore."

For the first time since she'd come up with her plan, Ginny took a moment to think. It seemed likely that Draco was telling the truth – at least to an extent. Everything seemed so easy and it had always struck her as odd that she had been treated so well. They _wanted_ her to feel safe, to get comfortable and feel as though she had a fighting chance to get out. What didn't make sense, though, was that there was no reason for Draco to want to help – at least not that she could see. Her silly Gryffindor courage couldn't shake that.

Knowing that she'd regret it later, Ginny leaned in and kissed Malfoy. Her lips brushed against his gently, so gently that she felt as though she was being tickled by a feather. Her eyelids fluttered closed for a moment, and then she pulled back. "Draco, I understand what you're trying to do here, but I won't be afraid of him anymore. Tom doesn't control me, and I won't back down. I have to fight."

"You've got a lot more stones than I thought, Ginny," he replied with a half-smile. "You're brave and you're foolish, but I suppose that some things are worth dying for."

Reflexively, Ginny smiled. "You remind me so much of someone I knew."

He bowed his head forward. "Tell me all about it after you _don't_ die."

* * *

The door was before her. It was now or never, and Ginny was too far in to give up now. She knew it would be unlocked this time; they were all waiting for her behind the door. Her hand slowly went to the knob and she turned it as she breathed in deeply. With a gentle push, it was open. It was time now for all secrets to be revealed.

It was anticlimactic at first. The door led to another room – a hallway filled with statues and portraits and an impossibly high ceiling. The marble floor only led in one direction; she knew where to go. Every step she took echoed throughout the room, and it seemed as though she'd have to take a million steps to get to whatever was at the other end. Finally, she saw another door, one that was just like the first, and she started to feel sick. Now, more than ever, Ginny knew that she was in the middle of a trap. This would more than likely be the last day of her life.

She opened the second door. Inside was a long, mahogany table. There were many familiar faces – Lucius, Greyback, Bellatrix, Narcissa, Draco and Snape. But her attention was on only one person.

"Hello, Tom."

Her chin was held high, defiant. She wouldn't back down because she wasn't afraid of him. He had manipulated her once because she was a small, defenseless child, but she wasn't any of those things anymore. He didn't scare her, and neither did death.

"Good evening, Ginevra," he answered, an amused expression on his face. "I was wondering how much longer we'd have to wait for your arrival. You are, after all, our guest of honor."

"Save it," Ginny hissed back. "Do what you've planned and be done with it. I have no interest in small talk."

The Dark Lord's grin widened. "I have to say that you've grown quite a bit since our last meeting, and I must tell you that I respect your straightforward approach to death. Most would fight, but you, dear Ginevra, just want it over and done with."

"Who says I won't fight? I just can't stand to listen to your self-important tone any longer."

Bellatrix stood from her seat, staring at Ginny menacingly. "You dare speak to the Dark Lord like you're his equal?" Her shrill voice echoed through the room.

"The plan is to kill me, isn't it?" Ginny replied. "If you're so sure that your plan won't fail, then it shouldn't make a difference what I say, Bella. If the plan is to kill me, then why don't you do it?"

Voldemort rose from his seat at the far end of the room and began walking towards Ginny slowly, his cloak billowing behind him majestically. His eyes, once beautiful and now replaced by thin, red slits, remained focused on his redheaded target. "Dear, sweet, Ginevra. As it turns out, you're not the only guest of honor we have this evening. Would you care to join me in greeting them?"

"Of course, Tom," she sneered.

"Wormtail!" he shouted.

Moments later, Peter Pettigrew emerged from an outside room, holding tightly onto the arm of another person. Ginny knew immediately that it was Harry, and her heart sunk in her chest. It was in that moment that she realized that she had done the right thing by going through that door. If nothing else, she got to see Harry's face once more, and his presence alone made her feel like she had a fighting chance of escape.

"Ahh, Mr. Potter," Voldemort quipped. "Wonderful for you to join us."

Harry's eyes locked on Ginny, who nodded briefly to indicate that she was not ill or injured, although standing next to Voldemort did put her into immediate danger. She looked back up at the snake-like man. "So, you've kidnapped Harry? I'm not enough for you?"

"Actually, my dear, it is my hope that you're more than enough. I don't know if you've had the opportunity to take a head count, but there are fourteen men sitting at that table, and they are all just itching to take turns being close to you." He paused, a sneer forming on his once-handsome lips. "Mr. Potter is here to watch."

Ginny swallowed hard. "Close to me?"

"No witty retort this time, Ginevra? Are you scared?"

"I thought you were supposed to be gifted at Legilimency. Why don't _you_ tell me what I'm feeling?"

She heard the Dark Lord release a low laugh, and then she felt a shock to her system. Her whole body went numb as she felt him entering her mind. Different moments of her life flashed before her eyes – being kidnapped, Harry's proposal to her, the first time she had made love to Harry. So many private moments and private thoughts were suddenly on display for the man who had violated her when she was eleven. All of her thoughts, hopes, dreams, and fears were no longer safe within the confines of her mind.

And then he released her, and she fell to the ground, feeling as though she'd had the wind knocked from her. Hatefully, she looked up at him. "Find anything interesting, Tom?"

Voldemort stared her down for several moments, taking in her appearance as she lay splayed on the ground, her disheveled white dress barely covering her. "I know that you're Darker than you pretend to be, Ginevra." He walked towards her, his footsteps slow and deliberate. He used his magic to force her off the ground and shove her against a far wall, her body dangling several feet in the air. "You can't pretend with me. You're not nearly as _pure_ as you used to be – you've known the love of a man."

"That doesn't mean that I'm Dark," she hissed. "I've grown up!"

"Your fears are most amusing," he continued, taking more steps in her direction. "Mr. Potter is here, and he is the one fully responsible for your innocence being lost, and yet you don't fear for his safety. You think only about yourself and… Mr. Malfoy."

Ginny gulped audibly. "He's the only person I've seen today before now," she said, her voice less sure. "It's normal for me to have thoughts about the people I see."

"You're _lying!_" he shouted, his face only inches from hers now. "Tell the room, Miss Weasley, why it is that you've not accepted Mr. Potter's marriage proposal."

Glancing at Harry made her heart stop. His eyes were empty and hollow – completely devoid of thought. It made her sick. She looked back to Tom. "Why can't we just get on with your plan, Tom?" she susurrated. "You've got what you want; I'm here. Have your bloody Death Eaters rape me and torture me because, no matter what, it doesn't make you strong. You had to kidnap me and put me up against fourteen men in order to see me suffer!"

"I know all of your fears, Ginevra, not just your fear of writing in diaries."

"So, I'm human and I have fears? Go ahead and exploit them, but I'll _never_ stop fighting you."

"_Crucio!"_

A blast of white-hot agony flowed through her body. She was in so much pain that she couldn't think, couldn't feel, couldn't hear. It was as though her entire body had been punctured with thousands of knives, all over her body. She tried desperately to maintain her ground and stay calm, but a scream of pain escaped her lips. It was the most horrifying experience of her life.

And then, after what seemed like hours, the pain finally subsided. She fell several feet from where she had been held in place against a wall, landing on her stomach in heap of limbs that were too numb to feel anything. Despite her fevered attempts, she could not lift her head or move any other part of her body.

She felt a presence hovering over her, and she knew immediately that it was Tom. She used every bit of strength that her body could muster, forcing herself to turn onto her back, allowing her to look into his eyes again. His smug look told her that he was pleased to have silenced her, and she decided then that she still could not give in. She croaked out, "Is that the best you can do, Tom?"

"I know all of your fears, Ginevra," he hissed. "Pain and death and violation, they do not rank against your greatest fear. If I truly wished to hurt you, I know exactly what to do."

Finally, some feeling had returned to her limbs. Though the pain was immense and felt throughout her entire body, she was still able to move. Slowly, she got to her feet, her eyes never leaving his. With a voice as steady as she could manage, Ginny gritted out, "You know nothing of my greatest fear, you filthy Half-Blood."

Several audible gasps were heard throughout the room, and Voldemort gripped her shoulders with ferocity. "You always were a stupid, silly little girl," he hissed in her ear. "Your obsession with Harry Potter, your ridiculous Gryffindor bravery, and now your smart mouth have all become your greatest downfalls." He threw her to the floor. "I had originally planned for you to be a treat for my followers, but I know now how impure you are. I have seen the way you've allowed yourself to be touched and it sickens me. We have no interest in your body any longer."

"_Then kill me!"_

"You'll die, but not by my hand. You'll die in the face of your biggest fear, and you will die alone."

"I fear nothing, Tom. You can't hurt me!"

"Draco!" he called out. "She appears to have some sort of affection for you, my dear boy. Let's quell that, shall we? Lock her in the tightest space you can find. Turns out our dear Ginevra is a bit… claustrophobic."

Realization suddenly kicked in. "No!" she shouted. "No, no, no, no, please!"

"Draco, take her!" Voldemort shouted.

She saw the blond stand and then begin to approach her. Her eyes never left him, but he did not look at her as he dragged her from the room. She heard the door shut behind her, and looked up to Draco again, hoping that he'd spare her a passing glance of sympathy, but it never came. He took her all the way down the hall and past the first door before he spared her a glance.

* * *

He set her up against the wall in her bedchambers. "The Dark Lord was right about one thing," he said gently. "You are a very stupid girl."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "How – how can you say that to me?"

Draco's eyes were cold and hard as he took in her disheveled appearance. Her white dress was wrinkled and falling apart, her red hair was mussed and tangled, and her face was red and splotched. This was not the self-assured girl that he had got to know. She was not the same as she had been only merely hours earlier when he had begged her to stay away from the door, the defiant girl who was determined to face her fears, regardless of the outcome. "I don't say anything I don't mean."

"Draco, I thought you wanted to help me!"

"You allowed him into your mind, and he saw that you have affection for me. Do you think he won't use Legilimency on me when I return to find out if I share your affection?"

"I thought you knew Occlumency?"

"I do."

"Then why does it matter?"

"Because he doesn't need it to know how I feel about you," Draco replied quietly. "Why do you think I'm the one he sent to force you into a closet until you die from fear? He doesn't understand love and affection – those who exhibit such weak qualities amuse him."

Ginny's eyes widened. "What do you feel for me, Draco?" she asked, her voice unsteady.

He looked away from her as though he had been slapped. "What difference does it make?"

"It makes every difference!" she cried, using all of the energy she had to stand up. "You don't believe in what he thinks, and I know that you hate being a Death Eater! Why don't you fight for yourself? Why don't you stand up and _do something!_"

"I'm not brave like you," he replied quietly.

"But you could be! You could start being brave right now. Refuse to obey his commands and walk out of this place. What on earth is stopping you, Draco?"

Draco looked at her, his eyes softened considerably. "Why didn't you agree to marry Potter?"

Ginny's cheeks reddened considerably. "This isn't the time or the place to discuss Harry."

"Do you love him?"

His impenetrable grey eyes were unreadable. "No," she said softly, looking to the ground. "I don't love Harry – not like that."

"But you had sex with him?"

She matched his eyes. "Yes."

Draco nodded, looking down. "You're going to get out of here alive, Gin." He paused. "You're going to live, even if I don't."

Her heart sank to her stomach. She walked to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Sirius Black – he was your cousin, wasn't he?"

"Second cousin," Draco clarified. "Why?"

Ginny smiled and ran a gentle hand over his cheek. "He was a great man, you know – Harry's Godfather. Even though a lot of people thought that he was a murderer, he still kept fighting, and in my mind, he died a hero." She stopped for a moment and looked at him, realizing that Draco was probably not sure why she was telling him about Sirius. "He told my brother once that there were some things worth dying for, and that's what happened to him. He died protecting Harry."

The blond stared at her and smiled. "I said that earlier, didn't I?"

"Yes. In some ways, Draco, you remind me so much of Sirius. And believe me when I tell you how incredibly sexy that is."

Draco smiled despite himself, but then stopped after only a second. "What are we going to do, Ginny? How do I fight him – how do I get you out of here? I'm supposed to be locking you in a tight space and leaving you there to die."

Subconsciously, Ginny shuddered. "Draco, listen to me very closely. Do whatever you have to do, but make sure that you help Harry escape. The two of you can fight Tom; I know it, and I have faith in you. But promise me that you won't leave me locked up forever. Promise me that you'll come get me, and promise me that afterwards, that you and I –"

The sentence would never be finished. His lips crashed into hers so hard that she barely had time to react. It wasn't a sweet and tender kiss, nor was it slow and searching. It was panicked and frantic and filled with so many emotions that it was almost painful. But Ginny felt more wanted in that moment than she had ever felt in her life. Her whole body was on fire, and she melted into his arms, never wanting the kiss to end, never wanting to let go of Draco.

"Are you two quite finished?" said a voice from behind them. "Because I'd quite like to finish this."

They broke apart from each other as they both turned to face the intruder, mouths gaping in surprise.

Was he there to help them?

* * *

Her heart was beating faster and faster. This was it – this was one of the defining moments in her life. If she lived through this, she would be able to go back in her memory and remember this night, when she faced her biggest fear and survived it. She had always talked big, saying that she was not afraid of anything. She was eleven when she had come face-to-face with the Dark Lord, and afterwards had said that nothing else in the world could scare her, not after that. But now she realized how wrong she was. There were still things in the world that scared her out of her wits, that frightened her more than anything else.

They went back to the door, walked down the corridor again and entered the room where Lord Voldemort stood. He looked more amused than ever at the scene before him. The man who had said he was coming to help gave her a brief, almost indiscernible, look of apology before opening a small door and shoving her into it forcefully.

Small spaces. That's what Ginny feared. Small, tight spaces.

The door was shut, and immediately she shot her arms to the sides, feeling for the walls to see how little space she actually had. Her arms could only extend for a few inches in every direction, she could not extend her legs, and she could not stand up. She was trapped, and she was probably going to stay trapped for a long time. There was no telling what was going on outside her tiny room. She couldn't hear or see anything. She was completely lost to her thoughts.

Happy thoughts. The only way she'd be able to get through this would be to think happy thoughts. Her family came to mind first. She wanted to see her mother and father so badly, and she could just imagine how it would feel to see them and fall into their arms and cry like a small child. And her brothers. Just knowing, being able to see with her own two eyes that they were all safe and sound, was a thought pleasant enough to make Ginny want to survive.

And then she thought of how she'd explain to them what had happened between her and Harry. They'd never understand why she wasn't going to marry him, and they'd certainly not understand her relationship with Draco. As far as they knew, he was just another Death Eater, one more man who only existed to terrorize Wizardkind. But Ginny just knew that if she got the chance that she could show them how much more Draco was. She knew from the kiss that he was more.

Draco. That kiss. It was everything. It was every emotion, every feeling, every dream, and every fantasy, all wrapped into one. She touched her fingers to her lips, feeling them tingle with the sensation of his lips. She'd never felt like that with Harry, not once in the years that they had been together. Harry couldn't make her fall apart and go weak at the knees. She didn't love him, and she had already decided that she couldn't marry him before she had kissed Draco. Kissing Draco was like getting hit by a train – every sensation that she could feel, she did feel. It was wanting to die because nothing on the earth could ever be as great, as satisfying and deep. There was no choice, no comparison. Harry wasn't the one.

Oh, Harry.

The world came rushing back. No fantasies of kissing Draco all over again and no pleasant images of her family could pull her from that tight, cramped space. It was hard to breathe, hard to think, and impossible to feel. She sucked in and immediately released her rapid, ragged breaths. Everything was falling apart, falling away, falling to pieces. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, nowhere safe. She was trapped like an animal. Her hyperventilation could not be calmed. Nothing. No one. Nowhere. That's what she had, who she was, where she was. Everything was gone, taken from her. She was dizzy and broken and… and…

The world went black.

* * *

Voices. There were voices.

"Is she breathing?"

"I think she's okay."

"Are you sure? She's so pale!"

"Her face has some color, at least."

"Call a Healer, see what he thinks."

"No, you nit. She's fine!"

"Are _you_ a Healer now?"

A groan escaped Ginny's lips. Where was she? What had happened? The last thing she remembered was...

"Draco!" Ginny shouted, her eyes flying open as she sat bold upright. She couldn't even take in her surroundings. She just needed Draco. "Draco, where are you? Where are you!"

Two hands gripped her shoulders. "Shh, Ginbug. It's okay."

Ginny blinked her eyes rapidly, the world coming into focus. She saw red – heads of red hair. Her mother was sitting beside her, her father was holding onto her hands, and there were six brothers. She counted to make sure they were all there. All six. "Oh, Dad!" she cried, turning to him and throwing her arms around him, pulling him into her as tightly as she could. "I've missed you so much – all of you. I couldn't stop thinking about getting out of there so that I could see you again."

"It's alright, dear," her mother said. "We're all fine, and so happy to see you awake!"

Reluctantly, she let go of her father. "Dad, where is Draco? And – and Harry? And, where are Lucius and Narcissa?"

Everyone looked uncomfortable. "Harry's fine," Bill said, approaching her bed. "He's in another room being checked for injuries. You're at St. Mungo's, Gin. When we found you, you were nearly dead. You've been asleep for a couple days."

"Where – is – Draco?" Ginny replied, annunciating her words slowly. "Tell me what happened!"

Bill looked grim. "Ginny, he's hurt."

"How – how bad?" she asked.

Her oldest brother gripped her hand. "Listen, Gin. It's pretty serious. When we got there, You-Know-Who had already figured out that he had turned. He was being tortured."

Ginny's face turned pale. "What about his parents? Are they okay?"

"Snape was there," Charlie said, speaking for the first time. "He got Narcissa out before the fighting started. But Lucius is gone."

She bit at her bottom lip. "They saved me. Lucius and Draco did. Draco tried to stop me from going in there, and Lucius – he helped me. He told me that you were coming. He knew you were! Was he – was he a spy for the Order?"

"No, not exactly." This time her father had spoken. "After the Department of Mysteries Battle, he had been shamed, and he never quite regained his title within the Death Eater ranks. He came to us, said he wanted You-Know-Who gone and out of his house and begged us for help. Not long after, you were abducted, and we told him that he had better keep you safe."

"So you knew where I was all this time and you never thought you should find a way to get me out?" She was angry now, tossing the covers off her body and attempting to stand on her unsteady legs. "All this bloody time, I have been beside myself, terrified that I'd never see any of you again. Lucius could have said something to me, or Draco! Wasn't I important enough?" By the end, she was weak and in tears, collapsing into Ron's arms.

"Ginny, we couldn't," Ron whispered. "Everything had to be timed right or else you would have been killed. And Draco didn't know about his father. He just – he just wanted to help you, I guess."

"I need to see him."

Ron appeared confused. "Who?"

"Draco. I have to see him and make sure that he's alright."

Her youngest brother looked around at his family, wondering if they should allow her to see the Malfoy heir in his current condition, especially while she was already so worked up. But no one was willing to say no to her in that moment. With a brief nod, Ron took Ginny's hand and led her down the hall and into Draco's room before leaving and returning to his family.

Narcissa sat by the bed, holding her son's hand and crying. She looked weak and terrified, but upon seeing Ginny, she perked up slightly. "Oh, Miss Weasley!" she cried. "I'm so glad to see that you're alright."

Ginny approached the Malfoy matriarch and embraced her gently. She pulled back after only a brief moment, remembering why she had come to the room in the first place. Draco's pale and limp body was lying still in the hospital bed, bruised and broken. It tore at her heart to see someone she cared so deeply in such a weakened state. She sat down next to Narcissa "Is he going to live?"

The older woman said, "They said I should just keep talking to him. Hearing familiar voices could bring him from the coma."

The redheaded witch bit her lip. "Mrs. Malfoy?" she asked tentatively. "Could I – would it be out of line if I asked to be alone with him for a few minutes?"

"No, dear. I could probably use some nourishment and fresh air anyway. I'll leave you to him." The regal woman stood from her seat and went to leave. Before exiting the room, she turned to face Ginny. "My husband died trying to save you, and my only son might never wake up. I desperately wish that I could blame you for all of this, but instead all I want is for you to be with Draco."

"I care for him quite a lot. I owe him my life."

"But do you love him?"

Ginny looked down. "I barely know him, Mrs. Malfoy, but I know that when he kissed me, I felt like the entire world had faded away into nothing. There was nothing else that mattered, and I could have died in his arms. Seeing him now, so weak and broken, tears my heart out and makes me feel like a part of me has been taken." She paused, regaining her composure. "Is that what love is?"

Narcissa smiled at the younger girl before leaving the room. She didn't say another word.

The redhead settled into the seat beside Draco's bed. She held onto his hand for dear life, wanting nothing more than to look into his eyes again. There was nothing left to do but wait and hope and wish, and Ginny was willing to do that. He had put his life on the line for her, had risked everything to save her, and in turn he had been hurt, possibly beyond repair. But she wouldn't ever give up on him and would never let go of the memory of his lips pressed into hers, the fire between them. Her heart had been taken, and he had forever changed her.

She found herself drifting into sleep, memories and images of the door and what had been behind it plaguing every thought. The last thing she remembered seeing was him, his eyes open and bright, staring at her. He was awake and healthy. Ginny was unsure if this was reality or fantasy, but she did know that she felt at peace, if only for that moment.


End file.
